Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Despite Restrictive State Laws, Number Of Abortions In US Remains Consistent
NPR: Number Of Abortions In The U.S. Holds Steady At 1.1 Million, A New Report Says
Since the reversal of Roe v. Wade in 2022, anti-abortion rights advocates have continuously pursued laws and court cases to make access to abortion more difficult. A report published Tuesday finds those efforts haven't worked in one basic way: the number of abortions in the country hasn't budged. (Simmons-Duffin, 3/24)
Also —
AP: Philadelphia Abortion Doctor Serving Life For Murder Dies In Prison
Dr. Kermit Gosnell, an abortion clinic doctor sentenced to life for killing three babies who had been delivered alive, died earlier this month at a Pennsylvania hospital, prison officials said Monday. Gosnell’s grimy West Philadelphia clinic became known as the “house of horrors.” Former employees testified he routinely performed illegal abortions past Pennsylvania’s 24-week limit, that he delivered babies who were still moving, whimpering or breathing, and that he and his assistants dispatched the newborns by “snipping” their spines, as he referred to it. (3/23)
The New York Times: A Murder Charge In Georgia Exposes Complexities Of The Abortion Debate
A woman who took medication to induce an abortion, and then delivered the baby, was arrested on a murder charge. But on Monday, a state judge expressed deep skepticism about the case. (Rojas, Belluck and Cooper Eastman, 3/23)
AP: Conservative States Focus On Banning Abortion Pills
As states that already ban abortion look to further restrict access this year, much of the focus is on pills sent by out-of-state providers. A survey released Tuesday helps explain the emphasis. It suggests that more women in states with bans obtained abortions last year using the pills prescribed via telehealth than by traveling to places where it’s legal. (Mulvihill, 3/24)
